metronome/hardware/eda
Me Here d51c9f1011 PM_K-1 hardware: Stage 1 audio (input receiver) sims + container libs
Audio chain, stage 1 (balanced input receiver + protection) validated in ngspice:
- stage1_cmrr.cir: CMRR vs resistor matching -> 1% = 46dB, 0.1% = 66dB, perfect
  = amp-limited; justifies the laser-trimmed THAT1240 over discrete resistors.
- stage1_phantom.cir: +48V phantom step -> clamped to ~16V blip, steady-state
  ~0.12V; the DC-block cap + clamp + series R make a miswire a non-event.

Container: add kicad-symbols + kicad-footprints (for symbol placement) and skidl.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-05-30 19:27:25 -05:00
..
sim PM_K-1 hardware: Stage 1 audio (input receiver) sims + container libs 2026-05-30 19:27:25 -05:00
Containerfile PM_K-1 hardware: Stage 1 audio (input receiver) sims + container libs 2026-05-30 19:27:25 -05:00
README.md PM_K-1 hardware: reproducible EDA container (KiCad 9 + ngspice) 2026-05-30 19:17:54 -05:00
run.sh PM_K-1 hardware: reproducible EDA container (KiCad 9 + ngspice) 2026-05-30 19:17:54 -05:00

PM_K-1 EDA environment

A reproducible container with the tools to design, check, and simulate the core board — so the work doesn't depend on whatever happens to be installed on a given machine, now or in 50 years.

What's inside

  • KiCad 9 — schematic capture + PCB layout, and a CLI (kicad-cli) that can run ERC (Electrical Rules Check) and DRC, and export netlists/PDF/Gerbers.
  • ngspice — SPICE simulator for validating the analog audio circuits before we commit copper (op-amp stages, filters, input loading, etc.).
  • python3 — scripting, BOM munging, optional code-defined-schematic helpers.

Why a container?

The system KiCad here is 7.0, whose CLI can't run ERC (that arrived in KiCad 8). Rather than fight the host, we pin a known toolchain. Anyone — including future-you — rebuilds the exact environment with one command.

Use it

cd hardware/eda
./run.sh                                   # interactive shell, lands in hardware/kicad/
./run.sh kicad-cli version                 # confirm KiCad 9
./run.sh kicad-cli sch erc pm_k1_core.kicad_sch   # run ERC on the schematic
./run.sh ngspice -b ../eda/sim/input_loading.cir  # run a simulation (cwd is kicad/)

run.sh builds the image on first use, then mounts the whole repo at /work (so KiCad sees hardware/). Use RUNTIME=docker ./run.sh … to use Docker instead of Podman.

Layout

eda/
  Containerfile      # the pinned toolchain (KiCad 9 + ngspice + python)
  run.sh             # build-if-needed + run with the repo mounted
  sim/               # ngspice decks (SPICE simulations of the analog circuits)